Granular Hemostatic Composite of Alginate, Calcium, and Zinc for Rapid and Effective Management of Post-Traumatic Hemorrhage.

Post-traumatic hemorrhage, which can result from accidents or battlefield injuries, is a significant global concern due to the high prehospital mortality rate. Substantial efforts have been made to develop hemostatic agents that can effectively reduce hemorrhage in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event. The present study investigated the potential efficacy of Ca2+ and Zn2+ supplemented sodium alginate-based dry hemostatic particles (SA-CZ DHP) to manage excessive blood loss or post-traumatic hemorrhage. SA-CZ DHP were developed, followed by their physical and biochemical characterization, cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility testing, and critical evaluation of the hemostatic potential in vitro and in vivo. The safe SA-CZ DHP showed high absorption and accelerated blood clotting kinetics with reduced coagulation time (≈70%, p < 0.0001) in whole human blood, observed with insignificant hemolysis and uninterrupted RBC morphology. SA-CZ DHP significantly reduced the mean blood loss (≈90% in SD rats tail incision), and bleeding time (≈60% in BALB/c mice tail incision) was at par with commercially available Celox hemostatic granules. In conclusion, the biocompatible SA-CZ DHP exhibited rapid and effective management of excessive blood loss. It is also pertinent to note that the developed formulation could be a cost-effective alternative to its commercial counterparts.

Therapeutic Potential of Capsaicin in Various Neurodegenerative Diseases with Special Focus on Nrf2 Signaling.

Neurodegenerative disease is mainly characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins, contributing to mitochondrial impairments, increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species, and neuroinflammation resulting in synaptic loss and neuronal loss. These pathophysiological factors are a serious concern in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Based on the symptoms of various neurodegenerative diseases, different treatments are available, but they have serious side effects and fail in clinical trials, too. Therefore, treatments for neurodegenerative diseases are still a challenge at present. Thus, it is important to study an alternative option. Capsaicin is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in capsicum. Besides the TRPV1 receptor activator in nociception, capsaicin showed a protective effect in brain-related disorders. Capsaicin also reduces the aggregation of misfolded proteins, improves mitochondrial function, and decreases ROS generation. Its antioxidant role is due to increased expression of an nrf2-mediated signaling pathway. Nrf2 is a nuclear erythroid 2-related factor, a transcription factor, which has a crucial role in maintaining the normal function of mitochondria and the cellular defense system against oxidative stress. Intriguingly, Nrf2 mediated pathway improved the upregulation of antioxidant genes and inhibition of microglial-induced inflammation, improved mitochondrial resilience and functions, leading to decreased ROS in neurodegenerative conditions, suggesting that Nrf2 activation could be a better therapeutic approach to target pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disease. Therefore, the present review has evaluated the potential role of capsaicin as a pharmacological agent for the treatment and management of various neurodegenerative diseases via the Nrf2-mediated signaling pathway.

Green synthesis of ginger-encapsulated zinc oxide nanoparticles: Unveiling their characterization and selective cytotoxicity on MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were synthesized using ginger (Zingiber officinale) extracts in a green synthesis approach and evaluated their in vitro cytotoxicity effect on the MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cell line. The bottom-up approach was employed to develop the green-synthesized ginger-encapsulated ZnO-NPs (GZnO-NPs) without using hazardous substances. The most substantial Fourier-transform infrared absorption peak of the ginger root extract was seen at 1634.24 cm-1. The peak also confirmed the presence of ginger root extract-encapsulated ZnO-NPs at 1556.79, 1471.54, and 1019.83 cm-1. It indicates that the biomolecules found in plant extracts behave as capping agents, aiding in the formation of nanoparticles. The mean particle sizes (PSs) of optimized GZnO-NPs of the ratios 1:2 were found to be 104.01 ± 7.12 nm with a zeta potential of -11.5 ± 1.31 mV. The X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope analysis confirmed that the prepared nanoparticles were spherical and crystalline, with PS ranging from 100 to 150 nm. The GZnO-NPs were subjected to MTT assay and cellular migration potential, and it was found that the inhibitory concentration on the MDA-MB 231 (breast) cancer cell line and scratch area showed a dose-dependent efficacy. The successfully green-synthesized GZnO-NPs effectively induced cell death in the MDA-MB 231 cancer cell line. The scratch assay results confirmed that prepared GZnO-NPs inhibited the proliferation and migration of cancerous cells.

Valley-conserved topological integrated antenna for 100-Gbps THz 6G wireless.

The topological phase revolutionized wave transport, enabling integrated photonic interconnects with sharp light bending on a chip. However, the persistent challenge of momentum mismatch during intermedium topological mode transitions due to material impedance inconsistency remains. We present a 100-Gbps topological wireless communication link using integrated photonic devices that conserve valley momentum. The valley-conserved silicon topological waveguide antenna achieves a 12.2-dBi gain, constant group delay across a 30-GHz bandwidth and enables active beam steering within a 36° angular range. The complementary metal oxide semiconductor-compatible valley-conserved devices represent a major milestone in hybrid electronic-photonic-based topological wireless communications, enabling terabit-per-second backhaul communication, high throughput, and intermedium transport of information carriers, vital for the future of communication from the sixth to X generation.

Coverage and Determinants of Birth Dosage of Newborn Immunization in Rural Areas of Dehradun District, Uttarakhand, India: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Backgrounds: The Universal Immunization Program of India is one of the most cost-effective interventions in public health. Missing or delaying vaccination may elicit an uncertain immune response in the body, making the population susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. The objectives of this study were to determine the coverage of newborn immunization for birth doses under the National Immunization Schedule and its epidemiological determinants in the rural areas of the Dehradun district, Uttarakhand. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of one year with a sample size of 570. World Health Organization (WHO) 30 Cluster sampling technique was used with 19 children in each cluster. The data on determinants were collected using a semi-structured, pre-designed schedule through a house-to-house survey. Multivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with immunization coverage, taking the significance level as P < 0.05. Results: The coverage of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine, oral polio vaccine zero dose and hepatitis B birth dose were 100%, 91.9%, and 58.8%, respectively in the study area with an overall prevalence of incomplete coverage of newborn immunization as 42.5%. The most cited reason for children being unimmunized with birth doses was the unavailability of vaccines at the birthplace center (29.6%). Conclusions: The prevalence of incomplete coverage of newborn immunization was quite high, which was undermining the holistic approach of the National Immunization Program. Vaccine availability and accessibility at the birthplace with capacity building and training of the healthcare workers may be considered to ensure coverage of birth doses.

LTE-NBP with holistic UWB-WBAN approach for the energy efficient biomedical application.

Increased use of ultra-wideband (UWB) in biomedical applications based on wireless body area networks (WBAN) opens a variety of options in the field of biomedical research. WBAN may aid in the continuous health monitoring of patients while they go about their everyday lives. Many studies and researchers were conducted several experimentations in the same field for the performance improvement. This study covered the hybridization of UWB technology, as well as on-body, off-body, and human-body ultra-wideband communication (HB-UWB). In this paper, the parameters considered are throughput, energy consumption, energy efficiency, energy used, network survival and delay. An improved model for design and assessment of power-saving UWB-WBAN was developed in this paper. A novel protocol model was introduced in this paper, namely low-power traffic-aware emergency based narrowband protocol (LTE-NBP) to overcome the major drawbacks of emergency, critical data transmission, reliability and the power issues in UWB-WBAN. It's the emergency-based low-power traffic-aware narrowband protocol. It is based on the dual-band physical layer technology. The suggested protocol considered an aware traffic model and an emergency medium access control (MAC) protocol. The proposed model's performance was evaluated and compared with the related algorithms on different performance parameters. The improved model is found to be efficient in throughput, energy efficiency, energy consumption, and delay.

Appraising the Phytochemical and Therapeutic Perspectives of Bryonia laciniosa: A Literature Metasynthesis.

BACKGROUND: Nature has bestowed mother Earth with an array of herbals utilized as therapeutics for various human ailments since the origin of life. Bryonia laciniosa (family: Cucurbitaceae) is one such herb, which finds its mention in various traditional systems of medicine and has attracted current researchers due to its significant therapeutic value. OBJECTIVE: The current article aims to present a literature metasynthesis on Bryonia laciniosa. METHODS: The authors performed scholarly searches for peer-reviewed findings on Bryonia laciniosa and incorporated all the data related to the phytochemical and therapeutic profile of the drug. RESULTS: This compilation comprises of Phytochemical and Pharmacological profile of Bryonia laciniosa elaborating its traditional significance and recent researches related to its biological activities. The plant exhibits its potential as an antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, anticonvulsant, anti-asthmatic, anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and aphrodisiac agent. It also displays its benefits in wound healing and ulcerative colitis. CONCLUSION: The presence of flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, anthocyanins, coumarins, alkaloids, polyphenols, tannins and emodins in this plant is responsible for its various pharmacological activities. The retrospective study provides direction for existing research as well as future studies to support the domain of pharmaceutical and medical sciences.

Trichoderma reesei as an elicitor triggers defense responses in tea plant and delays gray blight symptoms.

Gray blight caused by Pestalotiopsis-like species is a major disease of tea crop worldwide including India, causes significant losses in tea production. Management of disease using fungal biocontrol agents is considered an alternative eco-friendly approach to synthetic fungicides. The present study explores the efficacy of Trichoderma reesei in the gray blight management in tea crop and activation of defense related enzymes against gray blight pathogen by developing a tri-trophic interaction system. Out of 16 isolates of Trichoderma species screened in laboratory against Pseudopestalotiopsis theae, a gray blight pathogen, isolate TRPATH01 had highest antagonistic activity (81.2%) against Ps. theae and was found to produce inhibitory volatile and non-volatile metabolites. Based on ITS and TEF-1 alpha sequencing, the isolate TRPATH01 was recognised as T. reesei. The methanolic extract of T. reesei was also found effective against Ps. theae at 200 µg/mL also confirmed presence of highest volatile compounds. The isolate also produced hydrolytic enzymes such as chitinase, cellulase, protease, and lipase. Under nursery conditions, 2% and 5% concentrations with 2 × 106 conidia/ml of T. reesei were able to reduce 67.5% to 75.0% of disease severity over pathogen inoculated controls. Moreover, compared with positive and negative controls, T. reesei -treated tea plants showed increased shoot height, stem diameter, shoot and root fresh weight at 45 days after inoculation. Principal component analysis capturing 97.1% phenotypic variations, which revealed that the tea plants co-inoculated with Ps. theae and T. reesei exhibited significantly upregulated accumulation of defensive enzymes viz., polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, phenolics, ß-1, 3-glucanase, and chitinase when compared to both controls. Hence, T. reesei could provide an eco-friendly and viable mitigation option for gray blight in tea gardens by inducing defense-related enzymes.

A Narrative Review of Vitamin A Supplementation in Preterm and Term Infants.

Vitamin A deficiency is an epidemiologically significant concern in all age groups, especially in preterm and term infants. Its deficiency causes various developmental malformations. Vitamin A supplementation has been a practiced alternative for many decades, but its effectiveness is debatable in the medical system. The bioavailability of beta-carotenes varies greatly and ranges from 2% to 30%, depending on how it is present in the plant's cellular composition. Vitamin A has a bioavailability of up to 75%. The bioavailability of beta-carotenes is positively impacted by several activities but mainly by mechanical ones that allow cellular interaction. These include enough chewing, mincing, and pureeing. The bioavailability of beta-carotene can be increased by moderate cooking and combining high-quality lipids. The WHO recommends waiting for a minimum of one month between vitamin A dosages. Six months is the maximum amount of time between dosages. For instance, giving the optimum dosage to a child who has not had vitamin A in two months is preferable to skipping the dose and making the child wait eight months (i.e., two months plus six months) before receiving the following amount. There were no discernible variations in the occurrence of momentarily increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), or alkaline phosphatase between the leading group and the trace group. However, patients in the top group experienced high blood triacylglycerol levels more frequently than those in the trace group, suggesting that hypertriacylglycerolemia may be a side effect of vitamin A administration. It is imperative to memo that neonatal vitamin A supplementation negatively affects subsequent diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccination in females. Since many children are delayed in obtaining their initial DPT series, several nations prescribe DPT boosters, so older children may be affected if vitamin A supplementation negatively interacts with DPT in such children.

Phototunable chip-scale topological photonics: 160 Gbps waveguide and demultiplexer for THz 6G communication.

The revolutionary 5G cellular systems represent a breakthrough in the communication network design to provide a single platform for enabling enhanced broadband communications, virtual reality, autonomous driving, and the internet of everything. However, the ongoing massive deployment of 5G networks has unveiled inherent limitations that have stimulated the demand for innovative technologies with a vision toward 6G communications. Terahertz (0.1-10 THz) technology has been identified as a critical enabler for 6G communications with the prospect of massive capacity and connectivity. Nonetheless, existing terahertz on-chip communication devices suffer from crosstalk, scattering losses, limited data speed, and insufficient tunability. Here, we demonstrate a new class of phototunable, on-chip topological terahertz devices consisting of a broadband single-channel 160 Gbit/s communication link and a silicon Valley Photonic Crystal based demultiplexer. The optically controllable demultiplexing of two different carriers modulated signals without crosstalk is enabled by the topological protection and a critically coupled high-quality (Q) cavity. As a proof of concept, we demultiplexed high spectral efficiency 40 Gbit/s signals and demonstrated real-time streaming of uncompressed high-definition (HD) video (1.5 Gbit/s) using the topological photonic chip. Phototunable silicon topological photonics will augment complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible terahertz technologies, vital for accelerating the development of futuristic 6G and 7G communication era driving the real-time terabits per second wireless connectivity for network sensing, holographic communication, and cognitive internet of everything.

Biochemical Characterization of Different Chemical Components of Parthenium hysterophorus and Their Therapeutic Potential against HIV-1 RT and Microbial Growth.

Parthenium hysterophorus possesses certain allelochemicals responsible for their medicinal effects. The presence of oils, polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes, pseudoguaianolides, and histamines in P. hysterophorus has been shown to exhibit medicinal properties. However, the systematic biomedical properties of this plant are still unexplored. The extracts of leaves, stem, and flower of P. hysterophorus, both at low and high temperatures (equivalent to boiling points of different solvents) were prepared. The extracts prepared in hexane, ethylacetate, methanol, and water were analyzed spectrophotometrically and colorimetrically and resolved on TLC for the presence of phytochemicals. The analyses of the free radical quenching potential of plant extracts were done by DPPH assay. The total antioxidant capacity was determined by phosphomolybdate assay and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay was used to determine the reduction potential of the extracts. The spectrophotometric and qualitative analysis of plant extracts demonstrated the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, carbohydrates, and cardiac glycosides. The occurrence of more than one Rf values for extracts determined by TLC indicated the presence of more than one phytochemical compound. The P. hysterophorus extracts contained strong antioxidant activity. These extracts exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus epidermis, Salmonela typhi, Neisseria gonococci or gonococci, Citrobacter, and Shigella flexineri. The evaluation of the antimicrobial potential of P. hysterophorus extracts was done by the disc diffusion method. These extracts also showed significant inhibition against HIV-1 RT activity. The anti-HIV-1 RT activity was done using Roche Kit. The P. hysterophorus extracts displayed the presence of many phytochemicals with strong antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-HIV-1 RT properties.

Active Ultrahigh-Q (0.2 × 106 ) THz Topological Cavities on a Chip.

Rapid scaling of semiconductor devices has led to an increase in the number of processor cores and integrated functionalities onto a single chip to support the growing demands of high-speed and large-volume consumer electronics. To meet this burgeoning demand, an improved interconnect capacity in terms of bandwidth density and active tunability is required for enhanced throughput and energy efficiency. Low-loss terahertz silicon interconnects with larger bandwidth offer a solution for the existing inter-/intrachip bandwidth density and energy-efficiency bottleneck. Here, a low-loss terahertz topological interconnect-cavity system is presented that can actively route signals through sharp bends, by critically coupling to a topological cavity with an ultrahigh-quality (Q) factor of 0.2 × 106 . The topologically protected large Q factor cavity enables energy-efficient optical control showing 60 dB modulation. Dynamic control is further demonstrated of the critical coupling between the topological interconnect-cavity for on-chip active tailoring of the cavity resonance linewidth, frequency, and modulation through complete suppression of the back reflection. The silicon topological cavity is complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible and highly desirable for hybrid electronic-photonic technologies for sixth (6G) generation terahertz communication devices. Ultrahigh-Q cavity also paves the path for designing ultrasensitive topological sensors, terahertz topological integrated circuits, and nonlinear topological photonic devices.

Supplementation of Mito TEMPO and acetovanillone in semen extender improves freezability of buffalo spermatozoa.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is one of the leading factors responsible for poor post-thaw semen quality because of overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) over neutralizing antioxidants present in semen. Mainly two ROS generation sites are present in spermatozoa, that is, mitochondria and plasma membrane. Therefore, the idea of targeting these specific sites for minimization of ROS production with the compounds having known mechanism of actions was built up as a core for this research. OBJECTIVE: Present study was done to investigate the effects of Mito TEMPO and acetovanillone individually and in combination on freezability of buffalo spermatozoa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the experiment, semen extender was supplemented with Mito TEMPO (50 µM), acetovanillone (50 µM), and a combination of Mito TEMPO + acetovanillone (50 µM+ 50 µM), designated as Group II, Group III, and Group IV, respectively. Control group without any supplementation was designated as Group I. A total of 24 ejaculates with individual progressive motility (IPM) of ≥70% were selected for the study. After final dilution, filling-sealing of straws, equilibration, and freezing were done as per the standard procedure. Semen samples were evaluated for IPM, plasma membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and cholesterol to phospholipids (C/P) ratio at both fresh and post-thaw stages. Evaluation of ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), capacitation status (CTC assay), and in vitro fertility potential were conducted only on frozen-thawed samples. RESULTS: The addition of Mito TEMPO (50 µM) and acetovanillone (50 µM) individually and in combination significantly (p < 0.05) improved post-thaw semen quality in terms of IPM, plasma membrane integrity, TAC, cholesterol content, C/P ratio, MMP, Chlortetracycline (CTC)-Full (F) pattern, and zona binding ability of buffalo spermatozoa, while significantly (p < 0.05) reduced ROS production, lipid peroxidation, and capacitation like changes as compared to the control group. DISCUSSION: As Mito TEMPO acts as an SOD mimetic and also detoxifies ferrous iron at the mitochondria level, it aids in neutralization of excessive ROS production and minimizes oxidative stress-related damages that enhances the antioxidant potential of sperm mitochondria. Earlier studies also indicated improved post-thaw semen quality in 50 µM supplemented group. The improvement observed in acetovanillone (50 µM) group might be because of inhibition of Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase as this enzyme activation by various physical/chemical inducers during cryopreservation process leads to activation of CatSper channel resulting in calcium influx, premature capacitation, and acrosomal reaction like changes through activation of adenylate cyclase and cAMP/PKA-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm proteins. Acetovanillone also prevents NADPH oxidase-mediated inhibition of glutathione reductase activity, which has a vital role in protecting the structural and functional integrity of sperm plasma membrane. CONCLUSION: Results indicated beneficial effects of supplementation of Mito TEMPO and acetovanillone on sperm freezability and individual supplementation was as efficient as the combination group for sustaining post-thaw semen quality.

Biomedical Implications of Plant-based Principles as Antidepressants: Prospects for Novel Drug Development.

BACKGROUND: Depression is the most common mental disorder. The symptoms of depression include loss of energy, changes in appetite, more or less sleep, anxiety, low concentration, uncertainty, restlessness, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or despair, and thoughts of self-harm or suicide. In order to provide safe, efficient, and cost-effective medication, the plant-based principles in isolation or combination with traditional antidepressants are gaining increasing attention for depression therapy. METHODS: This study includes the information regarding the present review and its contents collected from published literature materials in different international journals. We have used different search engines such as PubMed, Medline, ResearchGate, Google Semantic Scholar, and Science Direct. For this purpose, the data obtained were properly organized and analyzed to include in this article. RESULTS: Most of the phytomolecules isolated from the medicinal plants display antidepressant effects through the synaptic regulation of levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline in different parts of the brain. The mechanism of action of phytomolecules also involves negative regulation of the activities of monoamine oxidase (MAO) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and prevention of hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In addition, the strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory potential of these phytochemicals offer synergy to their antidepressant as well as antipsychosomatic functions. CONCLUSION: The application of phytochemicals has proved it to be a safe, cost-effective, and efficient therapeutic agent to treat patients suffering from mild to severe states of depression and other psychiatric disorders. The potential phytochemicals may be further optimized using in silico tools to develop better antidepressants and antipsychotic agents in the future.

Biochar-based nanocomposite from waste tea leaf for toxic dye removal: From facile fabrication to functional fitness.

The present study utilized discarded tea leaf waste to produce 'Tea leaf biochar' (TLB) as the functional matrix for the fabrication of hybrid nanocomposite (nAg-TC), with colloidal deposition of silver nanoparticles (nAg) via modified chemical co-precipitation, for treatment of dye-laden wastewater. The chemical composition, physicochemical properties, and morphology of nAg-TC, and active surface functional groups involved in adsorption were identified using BET, FESEM-EDX, FTIR, TGA, XPS, and XRD. The nAg-TC matrix was found to be heterogeneous, mesoporous, thermostable, with rich in active surface functional groups (-OH, =NH, =CH, CC, CO, CN, and CC), and nAg as a dopant material. The dye adsorption results indicated the maximum removal efficiency (RhB = 95.89%, CR = 94.10%) at 300 K for rhodamine B (RhB) and Congo red (CR) concentrations of 25 mg L-1 and 22.5 mg L-1, respectively. The present investigation agreed with Freundlich isotherm (R2CR:0.991; R2RhB:0.993) and pseudo-second order kinetic (R2CR:0.999; R2RhB:0.999) model, indicating overall adsorption of RhB and CR through spontaneous and exothermic chemisorption on the heterogeneous surface of nAg-TC. The mechanism of RhB and CR adsorption was complex where nAg-TC, possessing the synergistic effects of TLB and nAg, showed surface complexation, electrostatic attraction, and H-bonding, leading to chemisorption. Study showed excellent reusability of spent nAg-TC, and commendable treatment efficiency for dye-laden real industrial effluents. The study exhibits substantial techno-economic feasibility of adsorbent and translates the principles of circular economy into synthesis of value-added products through sustainable management of biowaste and bioresource.

Imprints of COVID-19 lockdowns on total petroleum hydrocarbon levels in Asia's largest brackish water lagoon.

India successfully executed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, which provided unique opportunities to analyze the second-largest populous country's anthropogenic footprint on its natural systems. India's first Ramsar site and the world's second-largest brackish water system Chilika lagoon experienced a substantial decline (64%) in the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPHC) level in water, which was attributed to the massive declines or, at times, an abrupt complete halt of motorized boat operations for fishing and tourism. Using the TPHC values during the lockdown period, our study recommends a TPHC baseline threshold of 2.02 µg L-1 and 0.91 µg g-1 for Chilika waters and sediment, respectively. These baseline values can be used to quantify oil pollution and to formulate policy and management action plans for Chilika lagoon as well as for other similar ecosystems by local environmental agencies.

Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles Using Citrus Fruit Juice for Evaluation of Anticancer Activity Against Colo-205 Cell Lines.

The study focused on the medicinal properties of citrus fruits and their ability to synthesize silver nanoparticles. As the resistance against the modern antibiotic agents is on increase, finding new and effective natural antibiotic agents is the need of the modern era. Similarly, bio-synthesis of nanoparticles is also being encouraged for eco-friendly reasons. Due to remarkable medicinal and industrial applications of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), citrus fruit juice is used to reduce silver ions for the green synthesis of AgNPs. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of various constituents which impart antibacterial property to citrus fruits, analyzed against four pathogenic bacteria. Also, citrus fruit juice exhibits radical scavenging activity because of these constituents. Further, the AgNPs synthesized using citrus fruits were characterized using Ultra-Violet Visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to study the shape and size of the AgNPs. Anticancer activity of AgNPs was also evaluated against Colo-205 cell lines and found to inhibit 37.9% growth of cell lines at the concentration of 10 µg/ml. Hence, synthesized AgNPs can be used effectively against cancer cell lines in combination with other anti-cancer agents.

Outcomes for Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer with Radical Cystectomy or Trimodal Therapy in US Veterans.

BACKGROUND: Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains undertreated despite multiple potentially curative options. Both radical cystectomy (RC) with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy and trimodal therapy (TMT), including transurethral resection of bladder tumor followed by chemoradiotherapy, are standard treatments. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate real-world clinical outcomes of RC with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (RC-NAC), RC without NAC, TMT with National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline-preferred radiosensitizing chemotherapy including cisplatin or mitomycin-C and 5-fluorouracil (pTMT), and TMT with nonpreferred chemotherapy (npTMT). DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: US veterans with nonmetastatic MIBC (T2-4aN0-3M0) were studied. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Overall mortality (OM) was evaluated with multivariable Cox proportional hazard model. Bladder cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) was evaluated with multivariable Fine-Gray regression. Salvage cystectomy rates were obtained by chart review. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Overall 2306 patients were included: 1472 (64%) with RC without NAC, 506 (22%) with RC-NAC, 163 (7%) with pTMT, and 165 (7%) with npTMT. On multivariable analysis, pTMT was associated with similar OM (hazard ratio [HR] 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.94-1.50; p = 0.15) and BCSM (HR 1.34; 95% CI 0.99-1.83; p = 0.06) to RC-NAC; npTMT was associated with worse OM (HR 1.30; 95% CI 1.04-1.61; p = 0.02) and BCSM (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.09-1.94; p = 0.01). RC without NAC was associated with similar OM (HR 1.08; 95% CI 0.95-1.24; p = 0.24) and BCSM (HR 1.02; 95% CI 0.86-1.21; p = 0.79). When stratified by age, among patients ≥65 yr of age, treatment with pTMT was associated with similar OM (HR 1.14; 95% CI 0.87-1.50; p = 0.35) and BCSM (HR 1.11; 95% CI 0.76-1.62; p = 0.60). Among patients <65 yr of age, pTMT was associated with worse OM (HR 1.82; 95% CI 1.14-2.91; p = 0.01) and BCSM (HR 2.51; 95% CI 1.52-4.13; p < 0.01). The 5-yr cumulative incidence of salvage cystectomy in the TMT group was 3.6%. CONCLUSIONS: In MIBC, patients receiving pTMT have comparable survival in RC-NAC patients ≥65 yr and inferior survival in RC-NAC patients <65 yr. Salvage cystectomy rates were low. PATIENT SUMMARY: Management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a multidisciplinary effort requiring thoughtful discussions with patients about treatment options, including trimodal therapy, which is an effective treatment option.

Active surveillance for intermediate-risk prostate cancer in African American and non-Hispanic White men.

BACKGROUND: The safety of active surveillance (AS) for African American men compared with non-Hispanic White (White) men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer is unclear. METHODS: The authors identified patients with modified National Comprehensive Cancer Network favorable ("low-intermediate") and unfavorable ("high-intermediate") intermediate-risk prostate cancer diagnosed between 2001 and 2015 and initially managed with AS in the Veterans Health Administration database. They analyzed definitive treatment, disease progression, metastases, prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM), and all-cause mortality by using cumulative incidences and multivariable competing-risks (disease progression, metastasis, and PCSM) or Cox (all-cause mortality) regression. RESULTS: The cohort included 1007 men (African Americans, 330 [32.8%]; Whites, 677 [67.2%]) followed for a median of 7.7 years; 773 (76.8%) had low-intermediate-risk disease, and 234 (23.2%) had high-intermediate-risk disease. The 10-year cumulative incidences of definitive treatment were not significantly different (African Americans, 83.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 78.5%-88.7%; Whites, 80.6%; 95% CI, 76.6%-84.4%; P = .17). Among those with low-intermediate-risk disease, there were no significant differences in the 10-year cumulative incidences of disease progression (African Americans, 46.8%; 95% CI, 40.0%-53.3%; Whites, 46.9%; 95% CI, 42.1%-51.5%; P = .91), metastasis (African Americans, 7.1%; 95% CI, 3.7%-11.8%; Whites, 10.8%; 95% CI, 7.6%-14.6%; P = .17), or PCSM (African Americans, 3.8%; 95% CI, 1.6%-7.5%; Whites, 3.8%; 95% CI, 2.0%-6.3%; P = .69). In a multivariable regression including the entire cohort, African American race was not associated with increased risks of definitive treatment, disease progression, metastasis, PCSM, or all-cause mortality (all P > .30). CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes in the Veterans Affairs Health System were similar for African American and White men treated for low-intermediate-risk prostate cancer with AS.

Mechanistic Insight into Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Potential of Jasminum Species: A Herbal Approach for Disease Management.

Drug resistance among microbial pathogens and oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species are two of the most challenging global issues. Firstly, drug-resistant pathogens cause several fatalities every year. Secondly aging and a variety of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, are associated with free radical generated oxidative stress. The treatments currently available are limited, ineffective, or less efficient, so there is an immediate need to tackle these issues by looking for new therapies to resolve resistance and neutralize the harmful effects of free radicals. In the 21st century, the best way to save humans from them could be by using plants as well as their bioactive constituents. In this specific context, Jasminum is a major plant genus that is used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine to treat a variety of ailments. The information in this review was gathered from a variety of sources, including books, websites, and databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar. In this review, a total of 14 species of Jasminum have been found to be efficient and effective against a wide variety of microbial pathogens. In addition, 14 species were found to be active free radical scavengers. The review is also focused on the disorders related to oxidative stress, and it was concluded that Jasminum grandiflorum and J. sambac normalized various parameters that were elevated by free radical generation. Alkaloids, flavonoids (rutoside), terpenes, phenols, and iridoid glucosides are among the main phytoconstituents found in various Jasminum species. Furthermore, this review also provides insight into the mechanistic basis of drug resistance, the generation of free radicals, and the role of Jasminum plants in combating resistance and neutralizing free radicals.